1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to imaging systems, and, more particularly, to a system and method for multimode imaging.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous optical imaging system designs have been developed, each with its own imaging techniques. In the context of microscopy, wide field imaging techniques have been employed in certain systems, while confocal imaging techniques have been used in other systems.
Wide-field imaging involves illuminating a sample and detecting the image of substantially the entire field of view. Wide-field imaging has been used for numerous applications. Fluorescence microscopy is an example of one application that has utilized wide field imaging.
Confocal imaging utilizes a specialized illumination and detection arrangement that images only a selected portion of the imaging system's field of view. In addition to conventional imaging optics, confocal imaging includes a detector having a field of view, an aperture that defines a subset of a field of view, and an illumination system that illuminates an area of sample that is optically conjugated to the field of view. Confocal imaging is capable of providing better axial resolution than wide field imaging by rejecting out of focus light and enabling optical sectioning. In the context of fluorescence microscopy, confocal imaging improves the signal to noise ratio by rejection of background fluorescence that may come from supporting medium, or outside the subset of the imaging area.